Step #1: Lectio / Read

Step #2: Mediatio / Meditate

Use the following meditation to help you reflect more deeply on the Scripture (you may want to read the passage again).

​“Listen to my voice.”

This is the command God gave Jeremiah and which He also extends to us today. But what does it mean to listen to God’s voice? Does that mean we can actually physically hear Him?

There is a chance you could physically hear God’s voice as some saints have, but the reality is that most if not all of us will never hear a voice come down from a cloud or have even have vision of the Lord appear to us (like St. Maria Faustina). So how do we hear God speak to us if we can’t physically hear Him?

This is what Lent is all about: taking the time to slow down and reflect on how God speaks to you. God speaks to each and every person in a unique way, just as He made each of us in a very unique way. We are called in this season of Lent to pray, fast and give alms as a way draw us closer to the Lord.

During Lent we are called to holy fasting; fasting that leaves us hungry for an intimate, personal relationship with God. As we desire to enter more fully into a relationship with God, each of us need to be more aware of how He speaks to us individually. One great way to start is to read scripture, because that is basically God’s love letter to us. If you are reading Carpe Verbum, then you are already reading God's words every day and that is a great start!

Another way I hear God's voice is through friends or other people around me. I tend to be a little more on the extroverted side, meaning when I am going through something I like to talk thought it with friends. Over the past few years, I have surrounded myself with a group of friends who are also striving for holiness and help me on the path toward heaven. My suggestions is to find such friends if you don’t already have them. God places people in our lives to help us along, and that is one way He speaks to us: through the words and interactions shared with those around us. Are you aware of how He uses those close to you? How do you see others leading you to heaven?

Another way I listen for God’s voice is through journaling. Sometimes when I sit down to journal I just write what I am going through and it almost feels like I’m ranting to God or just going on and on. But then there are times I look back and read my old journals and I find that God has really spoken to me through journaling. When I look back at my journal from freshman year of college, I am able to see how God moved in my life and helped me through that hard transition. Even though I look back and see how ridiculous some of my worries were, because they mattered to me they mattered to God, so He helped me through it. It is sometimes really hard to see how God is moving and communicating to us in the present, but journaling helps me to look back and see how God has moved in my life.

This time of Lent we are called to more actively listen to God’s voice all around us, and as the Psalm says “harden not your hearts” and open your heart to how God is working in your life.

Step #3: Oratio / Pray

These questions are to be used to talk to God; have a conversation with the Lord about these questions and what is going on in your heart as you pray today.

How do you hear God's voice speaking to you through scripture? What is He trying to say?

Are you aware of how He uses those close to you? How do you see others leading you to heaven?

Is it hard to hear God's voice? When do you hear Him best?

Step #4: Contemplatio / Contemplate

In this step, you listen. Stop talking, let God speak to your heart. You may repeat one of these short phrases to focus your mind on the Lord.

"God, let me hear your voice."

"Harden not my heart."

​“Listen to my voice.”​

Step #5: Actio / Act

In light of today's reading and your time spent in prayer with the Lord, what concrete action or actions will you take to let this encounter with the Lord bear fruit in you today?

How do you best hear God's voice? In adoration? Through scripture? Through journaling? Make a commitment for the second half of Lent to spend more time in prayer in the that format. Maybe 5 minutes a day or once a week for half an hour.

Smartphone Lock Screen

The following image is here for you to save and use as a background or lock screen on your smartphone or device to help you carry today's Lectio Divina with you the rest of the day.

Today's prayer was prepared by Kayla Essner, a high school Math teacher in Cape Girardeau, MO.